Midlands Correspondent
Gweru City Council has given illegal vendors operating in the city centre until Friday, September 25, to vacate the central business district (CBD) or face enforcement action.
The ultimatum is part of the local authority’s efforts to implement the Government’s National Clean-up, Restoration and Safety Programme, which seeks to address illegal trading, obstruction of public spaces, illegal parking and refuse management in urban centres.
Gweru City Council Chamber Secretary Owen Masimba announced the deadline during a meeting with vendors, saying the local authority would no longer tolerate vending from undesignated areas in the CBD.
The meeting, which was initially scheduled for the Mayor’s Parlour, was moved to the grounds after the venue became overcrowded.
Masimba said the exercise was not intended to declare war on informal traders but to restore order while ensuring that vendors could continue earning a living from designated trading spaces.
“No one is allowed to be vending inside the CBD and everyone should go back to their designated spaces,” he said.
“All vendors are expected to strictly adhere to these new regulations and operating hours. Failure to comply will result in enforcement action by the relevant authorities, which may include confiscation of goods and prosecution.”
He said the council was seeking a humane transition that would balance the livelihoods of informal traders with the need to restore cleanliness, safety and order in the CBD.
Masimba said the city had designated trading areas and urged vendors who had not yet secured working spaces to register with the Housing Department.
“Those who do not have working spaces should visit the Housing Department and get registered so that they are given working spaces,” he said.
Under the new operating arrangements, vendors trading from designated spaces within the CBD will be allowed to operate from 6am to 6pm, while those in residential areas will be permitted to trade from 6am to 8pm.
Council also pledged to improve infrastructure at designated vending areas by providing ablution facilities, water and other basic services.
Deputy Director of Housing Unity Jaji said Gweru had several designated vending spaces that traders were expected to utilise.
However, vendor representatives expressed concern over council charges and the condition of some designated trading areas.
Gweru Vendors and Traders Association chairperson Godknows Mudzingwa questioned the US$36 monthly fee paid by vendors, arguing that the council had not invested sufficiently in vending infrastructure.
“Gweru is one of the few local authorities that has not prioritised the construction of vending marts for informal traders,” Mudzingwa said.
“Mtapa Vegetable Market, which houses most vendors, has not been improved.”
“Council didn’t really want to hear our side of the story but to tell us what they intend to do, which is to remove us,” she said.
“They came with an agenda and only wanted to justify their actions.”
The latest directive comes amid efforts by local authorities across Zimbabwe to regulate street vending, clear illegal trading sites and restore order in central business districts.
